In the U.S., records have revealed that no state is safe when it comes to credit card fraud. Whether you live in a small state like Kentucky or New Hampshire or a big state like Maryland or Colorado, you can be a victim.

As long as you use a credit card for various transactions, especially online, you can be a victim of credit card fraud. There are bad people who are determined to hack into other people’s computers and access their credit card information. The worst part is that they usually end up not being caught.

They anonymously enter your system and steal your information. If they succeed, they can use your credit card and pretend to be you. Once they have taken everything they possibly could, you will still be the one to bear responsibility in paying the credit card company. In short, you will painfully pay for items you haven’t even made use of.

Aside from online transactions, stealing of the actual credit card is still rampant. In fact, 23% of all credit card fraud cases are due to lose or stolen card. Some stores require credit card users to present their ID to verify ownership, but others don’t. If the person who has found the credit card will not be asked for further verification, he can use the card in whatever way he wants.

It is important that you protect yourself against these scammers. They can succeed if you allow them to succeed. There are steps you can take to prevent them from hacking your computer, stealing your password and even getting your actual credit card.

The first step is to be careful with your online transactions. Make sure that you partner only with reliable online sites. If you think it is not legit or there is something fishy, you have to leave immediately. Another tip is to avoid falling into the trap set by these scammers by sending you an email.

For actual credit cards, make sure that you keep them with you all the time. As soon as you notice that they are lost, call the credit card company. They will immediately cancel your credit cards. The card on their hand is already invalid. Replacing your account won’t be difficult.

Finally, keep your online software up to date. Hackers can easily penetrate your system if there are no improved security features in place. Installing a personal firewall may also help. Don’t install a cheap copy version as it might also contain the virus. Instead of staying protected, you end up being more vulnerable.

These are just some of the steps you can take to succeed in preventing them from defrauding you. Below is an infographic containing more information about how you can protect yourself from scammers. Use this information wisely to prevent them from getting what do not belong to them.

Again, they can only succeed if you do nothing. If you are more conscious of your actions online and careful with all your credit card transactions, everything would be fine.